


Prom

by CthulhusBabe



Series: The Macon Diaries [3]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Zombie Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - No Zombies, Baby Judith, Gay Carl Grimes, Genderfluid Character, Kissing, M/M, Negan is Negan, Older Man/Younger Man, One-Eyed Carl Grimes, Prom, The Greene Farm, carl doesn't stay long enough to truly appreciate prom, carl is 18, carl is of age, carl's pronouns are he/him, early stages of a relationship, genderfluid carl grimes, hairstylist Jesus, makeup artist beth, prom but not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-24
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-12-19 13:30:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11898750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CthulhusBabe/pseuds/CthulhusBabe
Summary: Its Prom and Carl is excited to attend, until Negan arrives and offers him something better.





	Prom

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this around the same time as I wrote 'Fourth of July'. Since then its been sat uncompleted in my writing folder until I discovered it this morning. So I finished it, gave it a quick edit and decided to upload it. 
> 
> Jesus is a hairstylist in this which follows on from my main story 'The Wedding of Young Miss Greene' which is still being edited. Beth is just a makeup artist for fun. 
> 
> The next story in the works is Carl moving into his Uni dorm.
> 
> Also now matter how many times I try to layout my writing, it never seems to come across and always seems like its one big block of text. Annoying.

It had been two weeks since Carl had first set his eyes on his new neighbour, Negan. No one was sure if Negan was his surname or his first name, and the man insisted everyone called him Negan, even the kids he taught. It was perhaps, the biggest enigma about him.  
Despite the man living across the street, Carl hadn’t seen him since the fourth of July party. Which was strange, but Carl didn’t question it. He eventually found out Negan was the newly hired gym teacher, though how a man like that was hired to teach children, Carl did not know. It seemed the school was lacking suitable candidates for teaching. 

Prom was in two days. The thought of which both terrified and excited Carl. He had two outfits lined up for that night- a maroon suit and a black shirt, with maroon converse, if he felt more masculine that night; and he also had a dress lined up too. It was the prettiest dress Carl had seen in the shop and he had practically begged his dad for it.  
His Dad had laughed, not in a nasty way, but warm-humoured, and asked if the long V-neck, open back, tulle dress in baby pink was the exact one he wanted. Carl agreed, telling his Dad it was perfect, especially with all the rhinestones and beads embroidered onto the bodice. His dad agreed, paying for it and Carl displayed it proudly on a hanger outside his wardrobe. He wasn’t certain which outfit he’d be wearing that night, but he secretly hoped it would be the dress. He could still wear it even if he wasn’t feeling feminine that day, it wouldn’t matter. It was his dress after all.  
Walking downstairs he found Michonne and Judith sat on the living room carpet playing with bricks and slotting shapes into the right shape. His father was in the kitchen, sat at the table drinking a cup of black coffee and reading the local paper. 

“Dad?”  
Rick looked up from his newspaper, “Yes Carl?” 

“You know how Prom is in two days and I have a dress and a suit to wear?” 

Rick nodded, 

“Do you think,” Carl continued, “That I could get hair extensions? Go all out for prom? Or is that too much?” 

Rick looked thoughtful for a moment, “Is that what you want? Your hair and makeup done for Prom? Then sure. Michonne will take you to the nail salon in town and you can get your nails painted, and I’ll ask if Beth would mind doing your makeup.” 

Carl searched his father’s face for any sort of judgement or humiliation. He knew his parents accepted him and his identity, but he couldn’t help but feel the paranoia slowly creep up his spine and cloud his mind. 

“What about hair?” Carl asked, “You sure you don’t mind, me wearing the dress to Prom?” 

Rick shook his head and grabbed Carl’s hands, “I support you for being you, I would never stop you from doing what you want [unless it was drugs, tell me you’re not doing drugs] and if you want your hair and makeup done for Prom then that’s exactly what we’re gonna do.” 

Carl smiled at his dad, “Thank you.” 

-Page Break- 

Michonne woke Carl bright and early the next day,  
“Come on kiddo,” she said to him, “Have a shower and get dressed, we’re going to get our nails done.” 

Carl groaned, flopping back into bed, “Ten more minutes!” 

Michonne opened the shutters, “No, now,” she called over her shoulder. 

Carl groaned again, “Five more minutes.” 

He heard Michonne sigh heavily and promptly rip the duvet covers off Carl, dumping them on the floor by the door. 

“Not cool Michonne.” 

The teen glared at Michonne, his face quirking into a small smile once he saw Michonne grinning at him. 

“Get showered, get ready. There’s pancakes downstairs.” 

She left the room, allowing Carl to literally roll out of bed and hit the floor with a loud thud.  
Groaning, he got to his feet and shuffled to the bathroom, if pancakes were involved he would move as fast as he could. 

He emerged in the kitchen dressed in a plaid shirt and a pair of jeans and headed straight for the stack of pancakes left on the kitchen table. He shoved them into his mouth, ignoring the syrup that was running down his lips and onto his shirt. He caught Michonne getting her purse together, and patiently waited by the door, flicking through twitter on her phone. She barely looked up when she heard him throw the plate into the sink, “Ready to go?”  
Carl nodded, grabbing his jacket, “Let’s go.” 

-Page Break-

In the end Carl chose to get acrylics that were slightly longer than his natural nails (so he wouldn’t struggle with everyday tasks), and had them painted a matte black. The matte black was off-set with a sparkly golden triangle of nail polish that pointed into a triangle at the tip of his nail. Michonne had chosen a base coat of white, with the tips painted blue. When they were finished, Carl pulled Michonne’s hands close to his and snapped a photo for his Instagram. He grinned showing Michonne the photo and all its defining hashtags. Michonne smirked and rolled her eyes playfully. They left the salon with linked arms, passing the Greene sisters. Carl could say it was a surprise, but it honestly wasn’t. Beth and Maggie Greene spent much of their free time at the mall. 

“Hey Carl!” Beth smiled hugging the young Grimes close, “Your Dad sent me a text about doing your makeup, I can’t wait!” 

Carl rubbed the back of his neck, “Thanks Beth, it means a lot.” 

Beth waved a hand dismissively, “Hey, really it’s no problem. I found someone to do your hair though! Jesus said he’d do it, as a promotion tool for his new salon.” 

Carl’s eyes lit up, Jesus was one of his few gay friends and he enjoyed the few times they spent together, “I can’t wait.” Carl told her earnestly. 

With the hair and makeup sorted, and his nails painted everything for the Prom was sorted. Well. Everything but the date. Being gay and not having a boyfriend meant Carl hadn’t really thought about who he would take. It was too late now though. He’d go by himself and just spend the night with Sophia and Enid. 

Despite their task for getting their nails painted completed, Carl managed to get Michonne to stay out for a while longer by persuading her to go and buy stuff for his college dorm room. He ended up with a new bathrobe, a coffee maker and a new lens for his camera. 

As they drove back to the house, Carl couldn’t help but turn his mind back to Negan. Where was he right now? What was he doing? Was he thinking about Carl? He shook his head of those thoughts. He was leaving for college soon, he would probably never see the older man again. 

Michonne placed a gentle hand on Carl’s arm, “Are you alright? You spaced out there?” 

Carl shrugged, “I’m okay, I think. Just got caught up in memories.”  
Michonne smiled reassuringly, not wanting to press the matter in fear of upsetting the young Grimes, “We’re home kid, let’s go.” 

-Page Break- 

The day of Prom soon arrived, and Carl was eagerly awaiting the arrival of Beth and Jesus. He hadn’t eaten yet, but he was in the kitchen peering into the open cupboards and the refrigerator.  
“Are you trying to refrigerate the entire neighbourhood?” Rick joked, “What’s up?” 

“I don’t know what to eat.” 

Rick looked in the fridge, “Well you need to eat something. Something light maybe, seeing how there’s a meal at your venue. What about fruit, or instant noodles? Gotta start living up that student life!” 

Carl groaned, “Don’t remind me. For the next three years I’ll be living off instant ramen and cheap food. What a life I’ve signed myself up to.” 

He grabbed an apple, “I’ll just eat this. Save myself for all the food at Prom. We have steak and candy.” 

He grinned and waved his Dad off, stalking upstairs to watch Netflix until Beth and Jesus arrived. 

-Page Break-

Jesus and Beth soon arrived and headed up to his room with a short hello to Rick and Michonne. They worked as a team, Beth working on the young Grimes’ makeup whilst Jesus attached clip in hair extensions, seamlessly blending them into Carl’s natural hair. 

“You can keep these after Prom,” Jesus told Carl, “Take them out and night and just clip them into your hairline whenever you want to wear them. They’re real hair so you can use heat tools on them.”

Carl smiled his thanks, snorting when Beth chastised him for jogging her steady hand as she lined Carl’s eyes.  
He stared as they went about they work through the mirror, “You don’t think this is too much do you? No one at school knows about my gender identity. What if they say something.” 

Jesus pressed his hands into Carl’s shoulders, “Fuck them. If they say anything they ain’t worth your time. You’re gonna look the best at this party and everyone; boy, girl, non-identifying, genderfluid. _Everyone_ is gonna be jealous of you and how good you look.” 

Carl stared at himself hard in the mirror. Beth’s makeup had done wonders to his face and he hardly recognised himself. Cautiously he lifted a hand to his face and stared at himself hard in the mirror. He couldn’t believe it. He looked, hot. Even with one eye concealed behind a decorative patch, he still looked hot. He turned towards Beth and Jesus.  
“Thank you, really. This is rad. I look so cool.” 

Beth smiled, packing away her makeup kit, “Seriously Carl, I had a lot of fun. I really enjoyed doing your makeup and call me any time you want your makeup done.”  
Jesus grinned at Carl, “Same here, but I’m gonna start charging you,” he winked at the young Grimes. 

“Seriously though Carl, you look great and everyone’s going to be jealous. Make sure you tell them where you got your hair done.” 

With his beauty team dispatched, and them both taking photos for their respective Instagrams. Carl headed downstairs, checking his phone as he did so. Sophia and Carol would pick him up and take him to the Prom, as Carol was a chaperone for prom night, in the hopes that none of the teenagers would start drinking. Carl flicked through his cell, snapchatting Sophia as he did. He glanced at Sophia’s five second snap of her makeup. She looked cute, and Carl knew that she knew she looked good. 

He heard his Dad choke on something as he reached the final steps. His father was choking on cigarette smoke. 

“Wow!” he stuttered out finally, “You look… I hardly recognised you.” 

Carl looked dumbfounded, halting in the doorway to the living room, “Is it bad? Is it too much?” 

Rick shook his head, grabbing Carl and tugging him into a tight hug, “You look incredible. Prom won’t know what hit them when Carl Grimes arrives on the scene.” 

“You sure you don’t mind me going like this?” 

Rick sighed, “I don’t care how you dress, or identify. So long as you are happy and safe and not taking drugs. That’s all that matters to me.” 

Carl smiled happily at his father, “Will you take some photos of me before Sophia gets here? I want some in the garden, and one with Judith and eventually one with you and Michonne when Carol and Sophia arrive.”

The photos were taken and as Rick was taking a photo of Michonne, Judith and Carl; Sophia and Carol waltzed in through the front door. 

“Evening!” 

Rick waved, hoisting Judith onto his hip and handing Carl back his phone. He called over Sophia, “Want to get some photos done with Carl?” 

Sophia nodded, linking arms with Carl and beamed brightly at him, “You look so good. Like so good. I can’t believe it!” 

They both turned to smile at their parents as they snapped photos. 

“Everyone’s going to be so jealous of you,” Sophia whispered,  
“Yeah,” Carl mumbled, “Everyone keeps saying that.” 

Carol drove them to the venue, all whilst telling them the story of her Prom. Sophia rolled her eyes playfully and shoved Carl who was busy looking at his phone. 

“All the teachers will be there; do you think they’ll recognise you? Maybe I should pass you off as my lesbian lover Carla.” Sophia erupted into a fit of snorts but stopped when she saw how uncomfortable her friend looked.

“Sorry Carl, I didn’t mean anything by it.” 

Carl placed a hand on Sophia’s shoulder, “Don’t worry about it Soph, it’s okay.”

-Page Break- 

Before Sophia and Carl were even out of the door, their friends’ parents were ushering them over for photographs. They posed awkwardly, surrounded by their friends in their equally as glamorous dresses and suits. People would pull Carl in for a tight hug and whisper into his ear about how good he looked. The girls swarmed around him, desperate to get their photo taken. Whether because they were his friends, or because they saw him as some sort of attraction, Carl did not know. But so far, he had not heard any foul comments about how he looked, and he supposed that was better than nothing. 

Eventually, most of the girls got bored of bringing him in for photos; and Carl was finally able to link arms with Enid and Sophia and head into the Prom venue. The school’s dance hall looked spectacular. Banners and balloons were strewn around, and the DJ was playing tracks he thought the kids would want to dance to. Carl’s peers were stood around, holding glasses of non-alcoholic champagne and soda. They were socialising in little social circles, in their selected cliques. Sophia, Carl and Enid stood on the side-lines, eyeing everyone up. They weren’t part of a clique per say, they were more outsiders, moving between each clique seamlessly. Carl smiled taking it all in. By the stairs his teachers conversed, but the one teacher he was looking for was nowhere in sight. He wondered where Negan was. Would he even be turning up? Did he think a student prom was too ridiculous for his appearance? Carl hoped he would turn up, if only so Carl could have a quick chat with him. 

Sophia had grabbed both Enid and Carl and dragged them to the dance floor. Carl laughed warmheartedly as he twirled along the dance floor with his two best friends. As they danced, Carl spotted Negan sneak in through the front entrance. 

“I’ll be back in a minute!” Carl yelled to his friends over the music. 

He stalked off, holding his dress up so his heels wouldn’t catch. He found Negan eyeing up the small array of drinks being offered to students. Carl cast an appreciative glance at the older man. He scrubbed up nice, if you liked older men in suits who wore leather jackets instead of a suit jacket. Which Carl supposed he did.

“You’re not going to find any alcohol you know,” Carl chuckled, sauntering up next to Negan. 

Negan didn’t react in surprise, but simply turned his head to stare at Carl and snorted humourlessly. 

“Nah, didn’t think I would. This party kinda fucking blows huh?” 

Carl shrugged nonchalantly, “I don’t really mind it. It’s a goodbye for all the students leaving.”

“It’s a fucking joke, that’s what it is,” Negan told Carl, “Half these people you’re never gonna talk to again. So why the fucking bother.”

He turned to get a better look at Carl, “Fucking hell, you look hot.”

Carl blushed,

“No seriously,” Negan told him, “That dress looks fucking stunning on you.” 

“Thank you” 

They fell into silence and out of the corner of his eye, Carl could tell Negan was still casting him appreciative glances. 

“Do you wanna get out of here?” 

Carl put his drink on the table, “What?” 

“I said, do you want to get the fuck out of here?” 

Carl shook his head looking bewildered, “Why would I want to get out of here? 

Negan shrugged, pulling a hip flask out of his leather jacket and gulping down the liquid inside- _vodka or whiskey_ , Carl thought to himself. 

“This place is a shithole. Nothing to do, people are fucking useless. Let’s get out of here, me and you.” 

Carl looked over his shoulder, out into the crowd of people congregating on the dancefloor, before sighing. 

“Fuck it. I have nothing to lose. You buy the alcohol and we can drive up to the Greene farm and watch the stars.” He joked.

Negan left first, weaving his way through students and teachers alike, grunting whenever someone would try and spark up a conversation with him. Carl waited until Negan was by the door. 

_‘What was he doing? Negan’s his teacher- okay so Negan never actually taught him and he was about to leave for university. But the principle still stands. He’s at Prom! The last goodbye before everyone clears off for their new life and forgets about their little life in Macon. No. He could do this. Nothing bad was gonna happen. Its only Negan. Its only his extremely attractive, bad mouthed, neighbour and teacher.’_

Taking a deep breath, Carl lifted the ends of his dress and hurried towards the school entrance. If he was going to ditch his friends for Negan then he was going to spend as much time avoiding them as possible. 

“Carl!?” 

Groaning, Carl dropped his dress and turned to Sophia, 

“Where are you going?” she questioned him, “Don’t tell me you’re going home already?” 

Carl feigned a stomach ache, not having it in him to tell his best friend he was actually leaving with the Sports teacher, 

“I’m so sorry Soph, I feel really ill. I must be coming down with something. I’ll text you tomorrow okay? Have a fun night and say bye to Enid for me!”  
With his last words spoken Carl stumbled for the exit. 

There were probably around 27 cars parked around the school and Carl had no idea which car belonged to. Folding his arms, Carl swept his gaze over all the cars trying to find who was occupying what car. 

A rumble of an engine pulled Carl out of whatever little world he had fallen into. Next to him was Negan, on a _motorbike_? No wonder Carl couldn’t see him in any car, the man had been on a bike all along. Carl didn’t know much about bikes, but he knew this particular one was a Harley Davidson. 

“Nice bike,” he remarked, though he was nervous about getting on the bike in his dress. 

Sensing his apprehension, Negan soothed his concerns, “Don’t fucking panic kid, your dress isn’t gonna be ruined. Tell you what, I’ll drop you off and you can change out of that magnificent dress and into something more comfortable.” 

He pulled Carl onto the bike, 

“And I can get out of this fucking monkey suit.” 

-Page Break-

Negan parked on his driveway and waited until Carl was inside before venturing into his own home. Carl didn’t miss the way Negan watched his ass as he walked up the drive.  
Slamming the door shut, Carl tried to get up the stairs before his dad noticed.

“Carl?” 

The teenager tensed on the staircase and turned to face his father. 

“What are you doing home Carl? We weren’t expecting you home for a few hours?” 

Carl smiled at Rick, “Its fine, a few of us left early to go catch a film. It’s the last chance any of us are gonna have to meet up in this town.”  
Rick nodded, “So why are you home?” 

“I need to change and grab my wallet.” 

Carl raced upstairs to his room, tugging his dress off and leaving it in a pile on his bedroom floor. Rummaging through his wardrobe, Carl settled on a pair of jeans and his trusted plaid shirt. He debated whether to scrub the makeup off his face, but decided against it. He liked the way it looked on his face. He did however choose to tie his hair up with a scrunchie deciding he didn’t like how it kept falling into his face. Glancing around his room, Carl’s eyes swept the room. Where was that damn wallet? Tugging things off shelves and searching under his bed had done nothing but pulled out old memory boxes and lost socks. Groaning, Carl ran into the hallway to call down to his parents. 

“Dad! Have you seen my wallet?!” 

Carl was met by silence. 

“Dad? Wallet! Any ideas?” 

He heard shuffling, followed by a voice, “Have you checked your rucksack?” 

“Of course, I’ve checked my fucking rucksack!”  
“Language.” 

Carl heaved a sigh, “Sorry. But I’ve checked the bag, it was the first place I looked. Any other ideas?” 

“Coat pocket?” 

Carl ran back into his room, looking for his coat. 

“Where’s my coat?” he bellowed,  
He was yet again met by silence. 

Rolling his eyes, Carl stormed around his room in search of his coat, only to find it wedged between the bed frame and the wall. Wrenching it out, Carl unzipped the pockets to find his small wallet tucked safely in the pocket. 

“Did you find it?” 

Carl tucked the wallet into his jean pockets, heading downstairs. 

“Yeah, you were right. It was in my jacket.”  
“Okay well done. Do you know what time you’re coming home?” 

Carl shrugged, “I’ll text you okay?” 

Rick smiled at his son, dragging him in for a hug.  
“Have fun, be safe.” 

Negan was waiting on Carl’s porch. 

“I was gonna knock, but I didn’t know how that would look to your dad.” 

Carl smiled, “Good idea.” 

“I didn’t know if I was waiting for nothing. I honestly thought you had fucking ditched me.”  
Carl laughed, and Negan found himself craving that sound more than anything else. He clutched Carl’s hand and dragged him towards the bike. 

“Let’s go.” 

-Page Break- 

Negan stopped on the edge of the Greene farm. Parking his bike behind the fence that sectioned off Hershel’s farm from the road. Carl wrapped his hand around Negan’s hand, and started to make his way up the hill. They eventually stopped, perching themselves on a chopped log that had been made into a seat. 

Carl leant his head against Negan’s shoulder and looked up at the stars. 

“They’re so clear up here.” 

Negan glanced up, “They’re alright I suppose. Much more interested in the beauty I have next to me.”

Carl blushed, and shoved Negan playfully, “Stop it.” 

“Nah, you’re fucking hot Carl. Admit it and accept it. Especially in that fucking dress. Wow. What a stunner. Can’t believe you didn’t have a date to the Prom.” 

“Most people aren’t interested in someone with one eye.” 

“I am.” 

With tentative fingers, Carl places a hand on Negan’s jaw and brings him in for a kiss. Carl panics, only for a moment, when Negan doesn’t kiss back. Embarrassed, Carl tries to pull away, fearing he’s read the situation wrong- though how could he when Negan talks the way he does? But then Negan’s kissing back, slowly, like he’s savouring it. Like Carl could be ripped away from him at any moment. 

To Carl, its perfect. Carl gasps and Negan deepens the kiss. It’s perfect, because its Negan. Its everything Carl has been thinking about since their first encounter at his father’s fourth of July party. Carl arches into the kiss, and Negan despite himself, chuckles and forces their bodies together. One of Negan’s hands trails up to fist itself in Carl’s long hair, tugging it free of its hairband, and Carl rolls his hips against Negan’s. 

Negan pulls away, “You’re a fucking tease you know that. Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to do this? God your Dad would fucking murder me if he found out.”  
Carl kisses Negan’s neck, nipping at the skin and sucking on it. 

“What the fuck are you doing to me Carl?” 

Carl grins, pulling away from Negan, intertwining their hands. 

“I’m leaving for University soon. I don’t… I can’t…” 

“You don’t want this to be a one-time thing?”

Carl shakes his head.

Negan presses a kiss into Carl’s temple, “Shit. Let’s just see where this takes us.” 

They both turn their gaze up to the stars.


End file.
